In response to our current plastic consumer culture acting as a significant barrier in moving towards a sustainable future, a ground-roots movement has emerged to help us move away from such a dire fate, one bag at a time.

Boomerang Bags is a fast progressing community initiative that works to change our behaviour and reduce the use of plastic bags on a national and international scale. It operates by bringing local communities together to create bags, made completely of recycled and donated materials, as a means to provide shopping outlets, and in turn their customers, with a free alternative to plastic. Boomerang Bags provide a free, fun, sustainable replacement to plastic bags that is urgently needed in response to our current detrimental consumer practices.

Healthy waterways are a vital ingredient in the social, cultural, economic and environmental constructs of a healthy society, with the state of freshwater and marine environments, inclusive of the Great Barrier Reef, providing invaluable benefits throughout the Mackay and Whitsunday region. The health of these catchments are essential to bestowing clean and safe drinking water, providing nursery habitats for recreational and commercial fisheries, as well allocating sufficient water sources for efficient agricultural productivity.

A 2015 report, undertaken by the Healthy Rivers to Reef Program, investigated both freshwater and marine environments throughout the region. A number of areas, particularly the river basins, were standardized as being in a ‘poor’ state. One of these low-ranking river basins was the Pioneer River, one of the largest utilized water sources within region.

Presented by Queensland born actor Michael Caton, Guarding the Galilee is a 30 minute documentary on the battle to stop the biggest coal mine in Australian history, Adani’s Carmichael project.

The award-winning documentary team capture the raw beauty of Central Queensland, where Adani’s mine threatens essential water resources. Just downstream from the proposed mine, a grazier fears for the impact on the river that quenches the thirst of his cattle, and flows through to the Coral Sea.

On the coast, a boat owner operating out of the Airlie beach tourist hotspot worries about the hundreds of extra ships steaming through the Great Barrier Reef each year.

Meet these and many others engaged in this fight and find out exactly what mining billionaire Adani has planned for Australia.

Following the film we'll hold a panel discussion about the issues raised in the film and you'll learn more about how we can work stop this climate destroying project.

The Department of Natural Resources and Mines has removed significant conditions from the indicative approval for transfer of the mining lease for Blair Athol mine from Rio Tinto to the debt laden TerraCom Resources.

The removal of those conditions means that TerraCom may be able to cut ties with its subsidiary Orion Mining at some time in the future, leaving Orion with the mine rehabilitation responsibility.

The department has also removed a condition that the company must demonstrate that the government would have priority over any other debtors in relation to the cash financial assurance for rehabilitation.

The devastating coral bleaching event of 2016 may be returning in 2017.

Current ocean conditions have reef scientists worried that we may see serious coral bleaching later this year, particularly in the Mackay/Whitsunday region.

According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), eastern Australia waters are unusually warm, increasing the risk of bleaching.

NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch website indicates that the Mackay/Whitsunday region is likely to experience Alert Level One (bleaching likely) and Alert Level Two (mortality likely) over the next 4 to 8 weeks. (See NOAA chart below showing warning alerts and areas that are most at risk.)

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority is already fielding bleaching reports from Mackay in the south right up to the far north This is causing concern and many reef scientists fear another major coral bleaching event.

Green Zones on the Great Barrier Reef do more than just give fish a place to grow larger and more abundant. They also protect the reef itself and help it recover.

Last year the Great Barrier Reef suffered the largest and most widespread of the three mass bleaching events of the past two decades. The bleaching event affected reefs all over the world. When it hit Australia, it evolved very rapidly. Eventually over 93% of reefs were affected by bleaching. The northern section of the Great Barrier Reef was most badly damaged, with between 50 and 90% of corals dying.

We are looking for a person who is energetic and self-motivated with a passion for social and environmental justice. You must have good interpersonal skills and work well in a team.

The position includes office and reception duties, cleaning, as well as technical and administrative support for campaign staff. There is a substantial component of website content management, fundraising, communications and membership management. The position may be expanded to include a greater range of responsibility. The successful applicant will be employed by the management committee, and will take direction and supervision from the co-ordinator.

Coal powered electricity plants have been harming the earth for more than a century. The average global temperature has increased by over one degree in the past hundred years, leading to intensifying climate events. Droughts, flooding and wildfires are all made worse by climate change. Last year the world agreed to take action to limit global temperature increases to less than two degrees and to strive to prevent temperatures rising by more than 1.5°C on average. That won’t happen unless we take serious steps to end fossil fuelled energy production.

Adani's Carmichael mine won't go ahead without finance. You can help by writing to your bank today. Tell them not to use your money to finance climate and reef destruction.

The Great Barrier Reef and our climate are in crisis. Rising carbon pollution from coal, oil and gas are fuelling climate change which is leading to more extreme weather events -- from super storms and floods, to bushfires and extreme heat. August was the hottest month on record, and marks the 11th record setting month in a row. Our Pacific island neighbours are already facing sea level rise and salt-water intrusion which is threatening livelihoods and culture. This year, the largest coral bleaching event in history, caused by global warming decimated the Great Barrier Reef. Almost one quarter of the reef did not recover.

To avoid the worst effects of global warming we must plan for a rapid phase out of coal and gas fired power and its replacement with renewable sources, like solar and wind. Investment in renewable energy will create thousands of long-term sustainable jobs across the region and will help safeguard precious icons like the Great Barrier Reef for future generations.

Mackay can play a leading role in the transition to clean energy. Click here to join our team and help make Mackay 100% clean energy